States Flag Testing Gaps, Logistics Costs At Board Of Trade Meeting

States at the combined Board of Trade meeting with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday pushed for sharper trade facilitation measures, flagging gaps in testing capacity and high logistics costs as key bottlenecks for exporters.

Officials from 24 states, including West Bengal, joined the discussion, with nine state ministers participating. Several states urged the Centre to set up more testing laboratories for fisheries and marine products, a sector that was impacted, but has managed to stay in the green despite US tariffs.

States also sought the inclusion of new product categories under the RBI’s export moratorium framework, arguing that extended credit relief is essential for smaller exporters facing rising costs. Another major request was for dedicated legal support through the DGTR to help MSMEs navigate complex global trade remedy cases.

Multiple states also highlighted internal logistics costs from first-mile inefficiencies to warehousing constraint as a pain point on export competitiveness. Goyal said the Centre would work closely with states to address friction points.